Gone baby gone: the death and afterlife of a 60GB PS3

Ars Technica writes: "They might have been $600 at launch, but nowadays there are plenty of gamers who are glad that they sprang for the original 60GB model of Sony’s PlayStation 3. The system features built-in WiFi, every memory card slot you could want, a roomy hard drive, and, most importantly, full, hardware-based backwards compatibility with the PlayStation 2. These 60GB models are prized, hoarded, and, if you don’t have one, hunted. Why? Because not only did Sony discontinue the 60GB PS3, but later versions of the console have actually lost features.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what has happened to Sony’s flagship console SKU, and we’ll recount our experience of trying to get one of these precious 60GB models replaced under warranty. If you’ve got a 60GB PS3, you’ll want to read this in case yours ever croaks. And, if you don’t have one, read it anyway and wonder what Sony is thinking by discontinuing their best unit."